The prosecutors revealed that the device was wrapped in toilet paper to conceal it and then inserted into the TV’s USB port. Alongside a hidden recording device in the meeting room, investigators also found a similar customized device in Alfozan's personal bag.
OpenAI shared a X post in which it revealed how its AI models helped investigate the hidden recording device and identify the employee allegedly responsible for planting it. The company also claimed that it has evidence that the employee intended to plant additional recording devices in sensitive areas of its offices. As of now, the alleged motive is said to be secretly recording meetings, potentially capturing confidential conversations.
We discovered a sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices. We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier. We referred the matter to the FBI, and we’re grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work. At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated. We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance. Our security program is designed to protect against a wide range of threat actors, from insider risks to cybercriminals to nation states, and this case is an example of how AI can help address these sophisticated security threats.
— OpenAI Newsroom (@OpenAINewsroom) October 13, 2026
"At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated," the company said.
OpenAI has reported the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the investigation is underway to establish what happened and gather evidence. “Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s super intelligence technology,”FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement mentioned in a Reuters report.
Alfozan has been working with OpenAI since July 2025, as per a Justice Department statement. He has previously worked with Meta and Microsoft. He has been a permanent resident of the US since September 2020. If found guilty, Alfozan could be sentenced to up to five years in prison, fined $250,000, and placed under supervised release for three years.